Women and human development in the Muslim world: Reflections on Islamic and UNDP's approaches

Abstract

Development is a continuous process that was started in its various shapes with the creation of humankind. There are several notions of development. For instance, in 1990, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) presented its concept of 'human development'. Similarly, around fourteen centuries ago, Islam also outlined specific criteria for the development of humankind. It is noteworthy that whatever approach is adopted, women are at the heart of overall humanistic development. It is a well-known fact that they constitute nearly half of the total global population but are behind in the development process when compared to their male counterparts. This is true in the case of developing countries in general and the Muslim countries in particular. In the context of the contemporary globalised world, as well as in gender discourse, this situation raises various questions. For instance, what is the nature and reasons for this underdevelopment, and what measures are required to overcome this situation? In the perspectives of Islamic and UNDP's notions of development, this chapter attempts to explore the possible answers of this and other similar questions.